Puffy Origami “Lucky Stars”

These small paper stars can be a lot of fun to make. They can be made from almost any kind of scrap paper, making them a perfect recycling craft. You could use a strip of old wrapping paper, leftover pieces of scrapbook paper, or any piece of paper that is about a foot long.

What you need

1 - foot long by one half inch wide strip of scrap paper for every star (Note: You can make different sizes of stars by using different sizes of strips of paper, but keep the overall dimensions about the same as stated here)

Instructions

Choose a thinner paper instead of cardstock, as that will make it easier to fold and form the star shape. You can also write little messages on the back side of the paper strips before folding them into stars. This is a fun way to add a little message to your child’s school lunch, or to send a love note to your partner. These stars also make great Fourth of July decorations and party favors.

1. Start by tying a loose knot in the strip of paper towards the one end. If you are using a paper with a pattern only on one side of the paper, be sure the pattern is facing towards the outside of the knot.

2. Pull on the paper strip gently to tighten the knot. Then, gently flatten to form a pentagon shape.

3. Fold the short end of the paper on the one side of the knot, and tuck into the knot so that it is hidden.

4. Taking the long end of the paper strip, fold around the pentagon knot shape an edge at a time, creasing gently as you fold. Don’t press down on the creases too hard, just enough to hold the shape. Keep going until you only have a short end left.

5. Tuck the short end into the pentagon shape, trimming if necessary to make sure the end doesn’t show. You’ll now have a small pentagon shape.

6. Hold the pentagon shape in one hand and use one of the fingernails on your other hand to gently press the flat edge inward so that it is concave. Do this for all of the flat sides. The points of the pentagon shape will form the points of the star shape. All the flat edges will be indented, turning the pentagon into a star. You might have to practice this technique until you get it perfect.

Tip: You can even make these cute stars by folding a dollar bill lengthwise several times to form a strip. You won’t want to make as many overlapping folds when making the star, since the strip won’t be as long. But, you can still get the knot and pentagon folds made, tucking in the end of the dollar bill strip to make the star. This would be the perfect gift if you wanted to give something a bit more interesting than just money.